Galaxy Diner Richmond, VA: Review

December 17, 2019February 16, 20240 Comments

Carytown, an artsy neighborhood in Richmond, is known for its abundance of unique restaurants. From bohemian cafes to modern bistros, Carytown will never fail to impress a foodie of any kind. When I first visited the neighborhood this past summer, I was especially interested in the galaxy-themed 50s style diner. I mean, is there anything more instagrammable than purple neon lights and vintage-style seating?

Well, I was not disappointed! I ate an omelet from their all-day breakfast menu at 8:00 pm along with some dessert and heartily enjoyed it. I enjoyed it so much, in fact, that I took my friend recently, where we both had a delicious lunch and milkshake. After visiting twice, I can say that the Galaxy Diner is in my list of top restaurants and I can’t wait to go into more detail!

Taste

Breakfast

For my “breakfast,” I ordered one of their 3-egg omelets: the Veggie, which contained: marinated tomatoes, onion, green pepper, spinach, feta & cheddar. It tasted absolutely delicious. In fact, I think it just might be the best omelet I have ever had at a restaurant. For a price of $10.99, I also got hash browns, a biscuit, and stewed apples. The food comes in such a large quantity that I shared it with my mother, so it was actually about $5.50 for each of us!

Galaxy Diner Richmond — Veggie omelet, apples, biscuit, and hash

During my third visit I tried a different omelet meal- the Space Debris Omelet! And yes, it tasted just as wonderful and exciting as the name sounds. Nestled inside the perfect, fluffy eggs lay black beans, onion, tomatoes, jalapeños, spinach, and Cheddar cheese. On top, sat wonderfully smooth avocado. I don’t particularly care for avocado, but it was great with this omelet! I think an omelet is the best dish to order at Galaxy Diner, but, as you’ll find below, the lunch and dinner is pretty great as well!

Lunch/Dinner

I ordered an $8.99 Veggie Wrap, which was not only delicious and huge, but also came with a side dish. I picked macaroni and cheese, which tasted very fresh (I think it was homemade). Again, the servings are very large, so I actually could not eat more than one half of my wrap (it is served in two halves).

Dessert

The Galaxy Diner has, of course, a very large variety of milkshakes (it is a diner, after all); however, they also carry a selection of unique desserts. I decided to try fried twinkie a la mode. I can’t say I particularly enjoyed it, although it wasn’t that it was prepared poorly- it was just too sweet for me! My next visit I decided to order a $5.25 caramel milkshake for a different approach. Now, I realize $5 seems overpriced for a milkshake, but they actually give you a large container of milkshake for you to refill your glass, so by the end I had 2-3 milkshakes, but could have had a fourth! $5.35 for 4 milkshakes makes about… $1.30 a milkshake, a pretty competitive price if you ask me!

Value

The menu prices were very reasonable considering the quantity given. Like I mentioned earlier, I shared my $11 breakfast with my mother and my $9 lunch lasted for two days. I recommend splitting a wrap with a friend-it will fill you both and save you each a pretty penny!

9/4/21 Update: I was really hungry during my last visit and ate the entire wrap, so maybe don’t share with a fried if you’re as hungry as I was!😂 Still, though, the lunch/dinner is worth the $9!

Originality

Although there aren’t any floating UFOs or twinkling planets in the diner, the lighting, colors, and 50s vibe give the restaurant a very otherworldly atmosphere. With a menu containing many space-inspired items such as The Super Nova BLT and Boba Feta Burger, it is clear the restaurant puts effort in being unique. Overall, it doesn’t feel like your average run-on-the-mill restaurant; there is an exciting rush that comes with walking into the restaurant. Particularly at night, it does almost feel as if you have stepped from the dark night into a neon-colored galaxy. ?

Service

During my first visit, the hospitality was not at all impressive. By all means, the service was not terrible; however, our waitress did the bare minimum and did not make much of an effort to display friendliness. Fortunately, come the second visit, our waiter was better, although I believe Galaxy Diner should get some tips from Sugar & Twine.

9/3/21 Update: I’ve visited two more times now! My third experience at Galaxy Diner was marked with wonderful service, and my fourth mediocre, much like the first time. I suppose the service is hit or miss here, but you never need expect bad service… and the food always makes up for it!